image taken from google.com
Yesterday, I was holding a piece of Brunei's history in my fingertips but for only about 25 minutes. It was a 1967 50cent Brunei coin which I had stumbled upon from a cashier while giving me back change.
How did I lose it after making a declaration that the coin I found was to be a special one, a lucky one, my personal treasure and an extraordinary find?
I mistakenly gave it back to the cashier after making another purchase at the same store. This I realized after parking my car back at home. Habitually, I tend to pay exact change as my men's wallet is although coin friendly but doesn't allow enough to feed a vending machine. It forms an unsightly bulge in the back as well.
Guess it wasn't meant to be. A 43 year old coin. My loss. That coin has been circulating through different hands, cashiers, probably been on a ride in an airplane to a foreign country but was saved from being exchanged. That coin had different traders, purchased numerous items including an item that costs 50 cents back in 1967.
From my father's sms: 'My son,baras $3 sagantang, gula $1.25 sakati, $1.75 lauk rumahan sakilo, tiket wayang cheap matinee $1.75 klas kambing untuk sorang(??????), biji kopi mantah $4.50 butul basar, 50cent? gula sakati '
Other than the goat class in the cinema, it shows a pretty good idea of how the standard of living was back in 1967.
Other than the goat class in the cinema, it shows a pretty good idea of how the standard of living was back in 1967.
Something significant happened in 1967. The abdication of Almarhum Begawan for His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah.
That coin witnessed the change in Head of State, was probably in someone's pocket or sitting in a drawer listening to the radio broadcast of the proclamation. That coin was our first 'locally owned' currency as our Currency Board was established in June 1967.
Oh my, what a loss.
P.S If only that coin could talk.




